International News Briefs for Monday, February 3, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday Febuary 3, 2025.
“Time for It To Die”: Musk Pushes for Trump to Shut Down USAID
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: USAID
The future of USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development, is in doubt after a dramatic weekend. The agency’s website has been down since Saturday, and workers have been told not to come to work today at the agency’s headquarters. On Saturday, USAID’s director of security and his deputy were placed on leave after they attempted to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing USAID’s classified systems.
New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “This is a five alarm fire. The people elected Donald Trump to be President — not Elon Musk. Having an unelected billionaire, with his own foreign debts and motives, raiding US classified information is a grave threat to national security. This should not be a partisan issue.”
On Sunday, Musk said, ”USAID is a criminal organization” and that it is “Time for it to die.” Musk also said Trump agrees that “we should shut it down.” Trump weighed in by claiming the aid agency is run by a “bunch of radical lunatics.” Doctors Without Borders warns the dismantling of the U.S. humanitarian aid system will cause an “unmitigated humanitarian disaster affecting millions of the world’s most vulnerable people.” We will have more on this story later in the show.
Musk & Associates Gain Access to Treasury’s Federal Payment System
Feb 03, 2025
The top-ranking career U.S. Treasury Department official has been forced out of the agency after he resisted a demand by Elon Musk and his associates at DOGE to gain access to the government’s vast payment system, which disburses trillions of dollars in federal payments each year. Trump’s new Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ended up giving Musk access to the system, which includes sensitive information about taxpayers, Social Security recipients and government contractors.
Musk is also accused of waging a takeover at the Office of Personnel Management, where career civil servants have been locked out of computer systems.
Over 30 Jan. 6 Prosecutors Fired; FBI Agents Questioned over Ties to Insurrection Probes
Feb 03, 2025
The Trump administration is continuing purges of federal employees across numerous other agencies. On Friday, the Justice Department fired at least 30 federal prosecutors who worked on January 6 criminal cases. Meanwhile, thousands of FBI agents have been asked to fill out a survey by today detailing their role in probing the Capitol insurrection.
The Trump administration has also fired Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Meanwhile, the Education Department has placed on leave at least 55 employees who had attended diversity trainings during the first Trump administration.
Trump Doubles Down on Threat to Illegally Seize Panama Canal over China Ties
Feb 03, 2025
President Trump has reiterated his threat to retake the Panama Canal, hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama on his first foreign trip in his new post. According to the State Department, Rubio demanded “immediate changes” in Panama to reduce China’s influence in the country, including at the canal. Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino spoke on Sunday.
President José Raúl Mulino: “The sovereignty of Panama is not up for debate. That is very important. … There is no doubt that the canal is operated by our country, and it will continue to be so.”
South African Official Floats Cutting U.S. Off from Minerals After Trump Aid Threat
Feb 03, 2025
President Trump has threatened to cut off funding to South Africa, the home country of Elon Musk. In a post online, Trump wrote, “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.” Trump was referring to a land reform law in South Africa where the country’s white minority still owns the vast majority of farmland 30 years after the end of apartheid rule. South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe responded to Trump’s threat earlier today.
Gwede Mantashe: “You passed an exploration act, therefore Trump will withhold funding to South Africa. And I said, ’Let’s mobilize Africa. Let’s withhold minerals to U.S.’ That is it. If they don’t give us money, let’s not give them minerals.”
Trump Hosts Netanyahu in D.C.; Arab Leaders Reject U.S. Call to Force Palestinians into Egypt and Jordan
Feb 03, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has landed in Washington to meet with President Trump. It’s Netanyahu’s first trip to the United States since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in November for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s trip comes just days after Hamas released three more hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 183 Palestinians jailed by Israel. The Palestinian Prisoners Society said many of the released Palestinians showed signs of torture and starvation.
Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers have formally rejected calls by Trump to transfer Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and Jordan. In a joint statement, the ministers wrote, “We affirm our rejection of [any attempts] to compromise Palestinians’ unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or annex of land or through vacating the land from its owners.”
Israel Escalates Attack on Jenin, Blows Up 23 Homes on Residential Block
Feb 03, 2025
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss Israel’s escalating attacks on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. On Saturday, Israeli forces blew up an entire residential block of 23 homes in the Jenin refugee camp. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50 Palestinians and displaced more than 15,000. On Thursday, Palestine’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said Israel’s attacks on the West Bank are a “systematic effort to destroy the foundations of the Palestinian state.”
RSF Air Attack on Omdurman Market Kills 54 People
Feb 03, 2025
In Sudan, an attack Saturday by the Rapid Support Forces on an open market in the city of Omdurman killed at least 54 people and wounded more than 150 others. Sudan’s Doctors Syndicate said most of the victims were women and children, and that one mortar shell landed just yards away from Al-Naw Hospital. The hospital is suffering a major staffing shortage as nearly two years of civil war in Sudan has nearly decimated the health system.
Fighting in Eastern DRC’s Goma Kills 733 in One Week; Hospitals and Morgues Overwhelmed
Feb 03, 2025
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at least 773 people were killed over the past week after rebels seized the eastern city of Goma. Another 3,000 people have been wounded in Goma, according to Congo’s Health Ministry. Local health officials say morgues are filled beyond capacity and hospitals are overwhelmed. This is Abdou Rahmane Sidibé, a surgeon with the Red Cross in Goma.
Dr. Abdou Rahmane Sidibé: “We are generally used to treating gunshot wounds. These are entry-exit wounds that reach an organ or a limb. But in recent days, we have received many injuries, not only from bullets, because these are civilians who do not wear bulletproof vests. As a result, we have seen many abdominal injuries. In addition to that, we have received injuries caused by explosive devices. The use of explosives in a populated area has resulted in many injuries. These are complex wounds. The medical care is very difficult and complicated.”
Aid groups warn Goma’s population of more than 2 million people is at risk of “catastrophic” humanitarian consequences. There have also been widespread reports of rape by armed groups against women and girls.
The DRC has called for an arms embargo on Rwanda over its backing of M23 rebels, and for Rwanda to withdraw its troops from the region. The DRC is home to vast reserves of metals and rare minerals, which Rwanda, the U.S., China, Europe and Uganda have all exploited at the expense of the Congolese people.
U.S. Warplanes Strike Northern Somalia, Northwest Syria in Separate Attacks
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: US Africa Command
U.S. Navy and Air Force warplanes carried out airstrikes on northern Somalia on Saturday targeting the Islamic State. It was one of the first major U.S. military operations since Trump took office. The U.S. also bombed northwest Syria on Thursday.
Trump to End TPS for 300,000 Venezuelans as Caracas Agrees to Start Receiving Deportation Flights
Feb 03, 2025
The Trump administration is preparing to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for over 300,000 Venezuelans living in the United States, as Trump escalates his crackdown on immigrants. The affected individuals were granted TPS status in 2023 and received an 18-month extension by the Biden administration, but the order seeks to end their protections just 60 days after the termination notice is published, a move that lawyers say is “plainly illegal.”
Meanwhile, Venezuela has reportedly agreed to accept deportation flights from the U.S. after talks with Trump envoy Richard Grenell, who met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas Friday. Grenell returned to the U.S. from Caracas with six Americans who had been jailed in Venezuela.
Hegseth Visits Southern Border; ICE Seeks Access to Database of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Feb 03, 2025
In more immigration news, the Trump administration is seeking to access a database, maintained by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, with information on hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children. Rights advocates warn Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, could use the data to further its crackdown, separating more families and causing more harm to the children.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is visiting troops on the militarized southern border today. He posted ahead of his trip, ”POTUS wants 100% operational control of the border—and we will deliver. BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY.”
Protesters Take to the Streets in U.S. Cities in Defense of Immigrants’ Rights
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: Gerry Bonilla
Major demonstrations have taken place across U.S. cities in recent days to protest the assault on immigrant communities. In Los Angeles, thousands of protesters rallied into the night Sunday, defying a heavy police presence. A group of demonstrators shut down the 101 freeway in downtown L.A. In Atlanta, thousands marched along Buford Highway on Saturday after ICE announced “targeted operations” in the city.
Hospitals in NY, D.C., VA and CO Cancel Young Trans Patients’ Care After Trump Order
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA
Here in New York, the NYU Langone Health hospital system has canceled appointments for some of its young transgender patients following Trump’s executive order that aims to cut off federal support for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have also started canceling gender-affirming care for youth, including prescriptions and refills. But some doctors are standing up for their young patients. Dr. Jeffrey Birnbaum, a pediatrician at University Hospital of Brooklyn, has told his patients, “I’m willing to go to jail to continue to provide your care.” In Washington, D.C., hundreds marched to Children’s National Hospital in solidarity with trans patients who lost their care.
8,000+ Pages from Gov’t Websites Taken Offline, Including Crucial Info for Trans and Queer People
Feb 03, 2025
The New York Times is reporting more than 8,000 government web pages across more than a dozen agencies have been taken down since Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has scrubbed pages containing health information related to LGBTQ care and to HIV. The State Department has deleted references to transgender travelers on its advisory page. The department has also stopped using the LGBTQI+ acronym; pages now just say ”LGB” to remove references to trans and intersex people.
Louisiana Seeks Arrest of New York Doctor Who Prescribed Abortion Pill Online
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: Reproductive Health Access Project
Louisiana has indicted a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a Louisiana patient online. An arrest warrant has been issued for Dr. Margaret Carpenter, as well as the mother of the patient, who was a minor, on a felony charge of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. Under Louisiana’s abortion ban, Dr. Carpenter could face a 15-year prison sentence, $200,000 in fines and the loss of her medical license. New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to uphold New York’s shield laws as she issued this video response.
Gov. Kathy Hochul: “I will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana under any extradition request.”
Trump Launches Trade War Against Canada, Mexico & China
Feb 03, 2025
Global stocks are tumbling after President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on most imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China. The White House said the tariffs are needed to hold the three countries “accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country.” Trump is also threatening new tariffs on the European Union.
Economists have widely criticized the tariffs, which are expected to raise consumer prices. The Wall Street Journal published an editorial headlined “The Dumbest Trade War in History.” Mexico and Canada responded by issuing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. This is Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
President Claudia Sheinbaum: “Mexico does not want confrontation. We start from the collaboration between neighboring countries. Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but we do not want it to reach anywhere. Therefore, if the United States wants to fight criminal groups and wants us to do it jointly, we must work in an integral way.”
Editor’s Note: After a phone call between Trump and Sheinbaum on Monday morning, Trump said he would hold off imposing the tariff on Mexico for a month.
DNC Elects Moderate Ken Martin as New Chair, Shunning Calls from Progressive Base
Feb 03, 2025
Image Credit: Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee on Saturday elected moderate political insider Ken Martin as its chair, despite calls from voters for Democrats to urgently switch gears and respond to working people’s needs following the party’s crushing defeat in November.
Twenty-four-year-old gun control activist and survivor of the Parkland massacre, David Hogg, was elected to serve as one of the DNC’s vice chairs, becoming the first Gen Z DNC member to hold the position.
Activists with the group Climate Defiance disrupted events at the Democratic meeting this week to demand a “clean break” between Democrats and the fossil fuel industry.